Possibly Kidnapped Palmdale Teen Found Safe

PALMDALE (CBSLA.com) —A teen who was possibly kidnapped in Palmdale Thursday afternoon was located later that night.

CBS2’s Cristy Fajardo reported that 15-year-old Jocelyn Zuniga, a student at Highland High School, was discovered around 7:40 p.m. at a Ross retail store in east Palmdale.

Someone at the shop recognized the teen from news reports and called police. Sheriff’s deputies who arrived on the scene said Zuniga didn’t have life-threatening injuries and will be medically evaluated.

The teen’s family said Zuniga was taken around 3 p.m. outside of her residence in the 1500 block of Windsor Place.

They said she went outside to take the garbage out and never came back.

A short while later, family members began to receive texts from Zuniga which read, “Help me. I’ve been kidnapped by a man and a woman. I’m in the back of a white truck. The man is driving and the woman is the passenger.”

The teen also sent texts to her 8-year-old sister, saying, “Please tell mom this is not a joke. I need help.”

In one of the texts, Zuniga reportedly said she was taken to 15th Street West and Rancho Vista Boulevard.

The girl’s loved ones immediately contacted authorities, who began to search for Zuniga and a white Nissan pickup truck.